Pieces in the Games
by subliminal shady
Summary: Pairs of tributes that, more or less, hate each other. An arena that haunts even the nightmares of Gamemakers. Not even the most prepared Career is ready for this.
1. District One Reaping, Finally

**I'm sorry for being such a bad updater! I feel really bad about it now, sorry everyone. And this got taken off when I re-loaded this page! :( I have some shout-outs here. I've been busy because I was writing Nightmares That Are Life and planning my other SYOT, The FanFiction Games. **

**Anyway, thanks for the faves, the follows, and the reviews. But most of all, the submissions! Those make me so happy! **

**These are the spots I have open for THIS SYOT:**

**Guys: D7, 11, 12**

**Girls: None! We got all the girls! :D**

**We can do this, people! Even though I have to rewrite this chapter from pure memory! Which I am!**

**ONE MORE THING! EVERYONE, PLEASE READ THIS! Two days after I post this chapter, this SYOT will be closed. If I don't have all the tributes, then I'll make up some bloodbath deaths. I CAN'T WAIT FOREVER! (No offense, everyone. I'm just excited for the Games. Wow, total Capitol moment...)**

* * *

**Sequin Voir**

"Ooh, I can't wait until you show Jake this dress!" squeals my friend Amethyst as I spin around in my reaping dress happily. I abruptly stop and stare at her pointedly. "You broke up with him?" she asks. "But you two were like, in love!"

"No, we weren't," I snap at her. "He was being, like, a complete asshole! He only sent me a card for my birthday!" Amethyst thinks about this.

"Sequin, you're being a slut," she says matter-of-a-factly. I stare wide-eyed at her.

"I don't go that low!" I shriek. "You'll be sorry for saying that when I'm famous and I'm a victor!"

Oh yeah. And Amethyst is my best friend. You should see how I treat my _enemies. _

I brush out my hair. I'm very proud of my hair and not afraid to admit it. I started dying it this way when I was eight. Now I'm seventeen, and I still look gorgeous. My hair is dark golden at the top, and then it starts to get copper red. The tips are completely copper red. It looks great against my reaping dress, which is pale green silk.

"Sequin!" yells my bratty sister, Velvet. "It's time for the reaping!" I prance out of my room, practicing looking sexy. Velvet glares at me.

"Don't be like that," I say, grinning at her. "You're just jealous that Mom and Dad think I'd have better odds in the Games than you." Velvet slaps my arm. I glare at her and we walk out the door.

There's so many single guys here it amazes me. Hell, even the Peacekeepers are fair game. And there's a really hot one standing by where I am. "Hey," I say, smiling seductively at him. He turns beet red and stammer out a, "H-hey." I smirk to myself while making sure I'm so close to him we're touching.

"Welcome!" chirps Keely Wedding, the escort for our tributes. "Now, most all of you were alive during that horrible war we had. But we're all friends now, and we have another Games!" She grins at us. Her red hair is piled on top of her head carelessly. At least she isn't the stupid Capitol lady.

The Capitol still controls us, the Capitolians are just different people. They're a bit kinder, I think, personally, but that doesn't matter.

"Speaking of being friendly..." says Keely. "... President Paylor has a special surprise for these Games! First of all, there will be no more Quarter Quells." A group of Careers, we all groan loudly. "They're going to be every other year!" We all quickly have a mood swing and cheer. Someone even throws their hat in the air. "This will be the fourth Quarter Quell. And here is the twist..." She takes a piece of paper out of her dress pocket.

"When all the tributes are reaped, their names will then be placed into another reaping bowl. They will be sorted into random groups of two. Those groups of two will be allies in the arena, and they are not allowed to kill their teammate. If both members of the team survive, then their can be two victors."

Leaving us all with our mouths dangling open, she reaches into the guy's reaping bowl. That's right, the guys. We always have guys first in District One.

"Timothy Shatter!" she calls. Immediately, a crowd screams, "I VOLUNTEER!"

"Well, well! So enthusiastic!" she says. "How about you?" She points at a guy that I can't see. Two guys get up at once. They look almost exactly like each other. "Oh my! I'm sorry," she says to one of them, "but I meant your twin." The one that got picked grins, and the other glares and flips off his twin. The crowd laughs.

"What's your name?" asks Keely. The guy has a cute mop of blonde hair, dark eyes, and muscles. Hmm. Maybe worth hooking up with? I can't tell.

"Valor Ore," he says, grinning at the crowd arrogantly. "You'll be seeing me again on this stage when I'm the victor." Yeah, worth it. For sure.

"Now for the girls!" she calls. She draws out a slip of paper. "Marcie Killian!" she says.

"I volunteer as tribute!" I scream. No one else bothers to say 'as tribute' so I'm all alone then. Keely smiles warmly at me.

"My, you're so formal about it! Why don't you come up?" she asks. I grin smugly at the crowd, mostly at Amethyst and Velvet. I flounce up to the stage and smile, flirty, at Valor.

"My name's Sequin Voir," I say. "And even if I get paired with some bitch from District Thirteen, I'm going to win."

* * *

**Valor Ore**

"Hey," I say, grinning at my parents as they come into my room in the Justice Building. "Gallantry, Sapphire." Mom's name is Sapphire, Dad's is Gallantry.

"I'm so proud of you!" squeals my mom. "You're going to be in the Games!" She kisses both my cheeks and I try to squirm away from her. "Where's your token?" she asks, concerned.

"Forgot it," I admit, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my navy blue suit.

"Oh, Valor! I thought you were prepared!" says Mom, and she sounds so disappointed I feel guilty. "Really!"

"I'm sorry," I say. "I'm prepared, though! I'm going to win if I have to kill every tribute and mutt in the fucking arena!"

"Don't swear," says Dad. "The Capitolians don't like it when the tributes swear."

"They're not the old Capitol," I remind my dad. "They're the old rebels. They're used to it."

"In that case, say what you like," says Dad.

"Time's up," says a Peacekeeper. My parents wave goodbye. As they leave, I call, "WHERE'S GARNET?" Garnet is my twin brother.

"HE WOULDN'T COME!" my mother calls back to me.

_Oh well. I don't care at all_, I try to convince myself. The truth is, it stings.

Sheer, Dauntless, Dash, and Shear run into the room. They're my friends. "Hey, good job!" says Dash, slapping me on the back.

"Thanks, man," I tell him, smiling. "Shear 2, did you grab my token?" I ask hopefully. Sheer and Shear are twins also. When I say their names, I have to say '1' or '2' after them so they don't get confused.

"Sorry," he says. "Garnet locked the door and wouldn't let me in to get it." I swear.

"So, you're going to the Capitol," says Dauntless. He's the quieter one of us all. "Wonder what it's like. The new Capitol."

"Yeah, I hear it looks really depressing. A ton of tall black skyscrapers," says Sheer 1.

"Wow, that's got to look weird," I say. "Still, I can't wait to get into the Games."

"What District do you want your ally to be in?" asks Shear 2.

"Well, I'd say this District, but they probably rig it so that doesn't happen," I say, grinning. "Two, I guess. They're strong. Four, if not."

"District Four girls are sexier than District Two," warns Dash, and we all laugh together. Though I won't say it, I'll miss them a lot while I'm a tribute.

"Time's up," says the Peacekeeper. "Come on, kid." I follow the Peacekeepers to the train, where my District partner, Sequin, waits.

I have the most random, but scary thought, then: _what if I get paired with someone from DISTRICT TWELVE? _Then I'd lose!_  
_

Oh well. I'd break the Capitol's rules, just to win these Games.

* * *

**And right now, I'm drawing names to find out who's paired with who! I'm not rigging it, don't worry, but no one will be paired with their District partner. Yeah, I'm actually reaping them. I'm drawing them out of a hat. If I can find a hat... District Two reaping coming very soon!**

**Sorry to PrettyLittleFuhrmanizer, who I told that I'd post the D1 and D2 reapings in one day. I'm still finishing D2... :/**


	2. District Two Reaping

**Hey, I'm back! Sorry for the long update, I got lazy :/**

**Harley was submitted by PrettyLittleFuhrmanizer and Julian was submitted by Catching Fireflies. **

**PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE BOTTOM! VERY IMPORTANT!**

* * *

**Harley Bale's POV**

"Harlynn, dear," says my mother, Adriana. "Why aren't you training?" I stare at her, baffled for a second.

"Um... maybe because it's reaping day, and the reaping starts in an hour," I say. "And Mom, I've told you... call me Harley! No one calls me Harlynn!" Mom stiffens up. She looks pretty wounded.

"I gave birth to you, young lady," she snaps. "And I call you what I named you. Now get training!"

I stomp upstairs to my room and grab my reaping outfit. I guess I'll have to change in the locker rooms. I hope my reaping outfit doesn't get all grungy and sweaty. I want to look my best when I go to the Capitol. My reaping outfit is a blue plaid dress that goes to my thighs. It has prim little quarter sleeves. Under it, I'm going to wear black leggings that go to my knees. I make sure I don't drop my black netting gloves. Yesterday, I cut off the fingers partway. I need to be ready in case my District Partner's a real ass. I take my black boots and stuff my whole outfit into a bag.

"See you, Mom," I call sarcastically as I walk out.

The training center's only a block away from my house. Maybe that's why my brothers Will, Shane, Alijah, and Bruce are so strong. And of course, me. Of course I'm strong.

I open the door and sign my name on the pad of paper that sits on the receptionist's desk. They keep track of your training very closely. I make sure to write the time so they'll know how long I've been training.

Not that it matters. This year, I'm volunteering.

My parents, Adriana and Jett, don't know. Neither do my brothers. Bruce and Shane are still reaping age. Bruce is 17, the younger of the two, but he's much stronger than Shane. Shane is 18. A month ago, we had the family conference about who would volunteer. Bruce is to volunteer. Me and Shane are to sit there and cheer him on while he gets victory.

Now, don't get me wrong- I love Bruce, I really do. He's my favorite brother. But I want my turn in the spotlight.

I don't want to be another Cailynn. Cailynn was my sister. She died in the Games five years ago when she was only a year older than me- sixteen.

I don't care that I'm only fifteen, I'm volunteering, and I'm going to _win _these motherfucking Games even if it means shaming my family.

* * *

**Julian Miles's POV**

"Come on, Lillia," I urge my little sister. "This isn't a good time!" She's hiding somewhere in the house and I can't find her. My pulse races. If I can't find her, I'll be late to the reaping. And I need to be there, to volunteer!

"Jules?" calls a little voice pitifully. "Don't go!"

"I have to," I say. "Don't you want to watch me go to the Capitol?"

"No," Lillia says stubbornly. Her small blonde-curly-hair-covered head pokes out from under a table. "I don't want you to get hurt!" She throws her arms around me, crawling out from under the table. I look down at her. Damn, I'm going to miss her. I ruffle her hair. She looks so silly, because she's so short and I'm six feet tall, basically she's just hugging my legs.

"Well, we gotta go to the reaping," I say, hoisting her up on my back. "Come on, now."

When we get there, I scan the crowd for Aria. I spot her straightened head of black hair and dark skin in the middle of her blonde-haired, light-skinned family. She was adopted when her parents died in the quarries.

"Hey!" I call. She spins around and sees me. Her face breaks into a wide smile. I love her smile. I love it.

"Hi!" she says, hugging me. "And who do we have here?" she says playfully to Lillia.

"It's me!" says Lillia. "Hi, Aria!" Aria grins at me.

"Well, let's hope you have good luck," she says. "After all, this is your last year in the reaping."

"Yeah," I say, letting Lillia off my back. "Uh... how's our kid?" I ask awkwardly.

That's right. We're having a kid, and we're both 18. It doesn't matter to us, though. We know we're in love.

* * *

**Harley Bale's POV**

"Welcome!" says Juliet Hampshire, the new escort for our District. "Well, you've all watched the District One reapings, so you know what the twist is!" She's greeted with blank stares. We usually just watch all the reapings after they're all done.

"Well, every other year is a Quarter Quell," Juliet tells us. We cheer. "This is the twist: When all the tributes are reaped, their names will then be placed into another reaping bowl. They will be sorted into random groups of two. Those groups of two will be allies in the arena, and they are not allowed to kill their teammate. If both members of the team survive, then their can be two victors."

My mind forms a single thought- _this is not good. _

Then Juliet finds a reaping slip and pulls it out of the bowl. My mind is so muddled I scream "I volunteer!" before she can even read the name.

Everyone stares at me.

"Oh... um..." says Juliet. "Well, I guess you're the female tribute! What's your name?" I run up to the stage.

"Harley Bale," I tell the crowd. "Forget my teammate, I'm going to kill everyone in the arena."

"Okay!" says Juliet, who probably will get used to our arrogance in a few years. "The boys!" She struts to the reaping bowl and pulls out a slip. The name shatters my ears with its piercing loudness:

"Bruce Bale!" My brother Bruce, who planned to volunteer, got chosen. I can't believe it. He runs up.

"NO ONE VOLUNTEERS FOR ME!" he bellows. But then, someone does exactly what he said not to do.

"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" screams a deep male voice.

"Well!" says Juliet. "Erm... Bruce, I'm afraid if someone wants to volunteer, they are the tribute."

"NO!" screams my brother. I'm numb as Peacekeepers haul him off the stage. And who walks up? None other than Julian Miles, one of the better Career Tributes. He's kind of an outcast, people hate him because he's so good. Kind of like me.

"I'm Julian Miles," he says into the microphone. But before he can say something about him and his assured victory, a high-pitched little voice screeches,

"No! Don't leave!" A little girl, probably seven, with curly blonde hair, runs up to the stage and throws her arms around his legs.

"Lillia," Julian growls, clenching his jaw. "Get off." When she doesn't, he pries her off himself with his strong arms and lifts her up so she's dangling in front of his face. "It's okay," he says quietly. "Now, go back to Aria. I'll be fine." He smiles at her and sets her down.

You can almost hear everyone thinking, _that's what they all say. _

* * *

**FIRST! Sorry I didn't do the goodbyes, they're kind of pointless for District Two. You know, the typical "We'll miss you!"/ "GET AWAY, I'M A BADASS CAREER AND I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO LOVE" thing. Maybe I'll do a flashback? Tell me if I should or not. **

**SECOND! To PrettyLittleFuhrmanizer, I'm sorry for changing up some things about your tribute. Adrian is a guy's name, and everyone would be kind of confused if her mom had a guy name. And to Catching Fireflies, I know you didn't say Aria was pregnant... I just made up that part to add a bit of a plot twist.**

**THIRD: Thanks to the submissions, this SYOT is now closed! Thanks, everyone!**

**FOURTH: Review! :D**


	3. Complete Tribute List

**I know you were expecting the D3 reaping, and I'm sorry about that. I forgot that I hadn't posted the tribute list yet. D3 reaping will be posted later today.**

* * *

**COMPLETE TRIBUTE LIST FOR PIECES IN THE GAME**

**District One**

Female: **Sequin Voir, _submitted by Guest_**

Male: **Valor Ore, ****_submitted by AC (Guest)_**

**District Two**

Female:** Harlynn "Harley" Bale, _submitted by _PrettyLittleFuhrmanizer**_**  
**_

Male: **Julian Miles, ****_submitted by _Catching Fireflies**

**District Three**

Female:** Brianna Caryn,_ submitted by _pr1ncess1  
**

Male: **Mitch Yamez, _submitted by _SputnikHolly  
**

**District Four**

Female:** Nike Silathrop,_ submitted by _cherrybubble  
**

Male: **Tom Lee, _submitted by_  
**

**District Five**

Female: **Lesia le'Deur, _submitted by AC (Guest)_**

Male:** Rowan Miller, _submitted by _Waltoncurr00  
**

**District Six**

Female:** Raycee Thett,_ submitted by _splendeur  
**

Male: **Matthew Passerby, _submitted by _Zephyrme  
**

**District Seven**

Female: **Adriane Lambert, _submitted by _theluckypasta  
**

Male: **Craig Timburt, _submitted by_ Zephryme****  
**

**District Eight**

Female: **Calico Farley,_ submitted by _ShastamaeFirepool  
**

Male: **Ash Farden,_ submitted by _ShastamaeFirepool  
**

**District Nine**

Female: **Braia Erwine, _submitted by _RueThisDay  
**

Male: **Griffin Fairbain, _submitted by _RueThisDay  
**

**District Ten**

Female: **Aiden Lotter, _submitted by _EmoChildP  
**

Male: **Kai Havelock, _submitted by _SamanthaTide  
**

**District Eleven**

Female:** Rae Storm, _submitted by_ ShastamaeFirepool  
**

Male: **Jason Task, submitted by Holton23S  
**

**District Twelve**

Female: **Rielyn Garner, _submitted by _Ruby07  
**

Male: **Oliver "Dodger" Dawkins, _submitted by _Nrrd-Grrl-Meg  
**

**District Thirteen**

Female: **Sparrow Ledste, _submitted by _Catching Fireflies  
**

Male: **Norris Langston, _submitted by _SputnikHolly  
**

* * *

**So, there it is. D3 reaping later today. :)**


	4. D3 Reaping, WRITERS BLOCK IS OVER!

**I am SO. FUCKING. SORRY! Oh my God, I can not tell you how much writer's block I had for this fic. Fortunately, I read a bunch of great SYOTs and got inspired. Plus, I have an epic arena idea. I hope this is an all right chapter. Now for the review replies! I've started doing them in A/Ns.**

**Catching Fireflies: It was Stan's pleasure to twist around your tribute until he was a proud soon-to-be papa. (Btw everyone else, Stan is one of my many nicknames.)**

**ShastamaeFirepool: Again, I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT. :( I'm actually pre-writing all the reapings right now.**

**Nrrrd-Grrrl-Meg: Thanks! I hope you like this.**

**theluckypasta: Um, yeah, about that. Sorry about the wait.**

**Guest (AC): Yeah, I kind of tend to do that. . -_- **

**trenton-motal: I'm smarter now, instead of dots I put these - Cause dots don't show up in the middle of words. They just erase the word. **

* * *

**Brianna Caryn **

**(12)**

I can't see for a second, but I know I'm in my room. Then, my mother, Kate Caryn, takes her hands away from my eyes. "Look what I laid out for you!" she says, grinning at me.

I stare down at my bed speechlessly. Lying, neatly folded, smooth side creases, is a jumpsuit I've never seen before. It's a dark blue that makes me think of the blue wires that my father brings home from work to give me. I love twisting those wires into shapes. The jumpsuit is covered in embroidered marigolds. It's patched, and you can tell it's old, but you can also see that my mother has put a lot of time into washing it.

"Thank you so much," I tell my mother, giving her a hug. She smooths down my short, curly black hair. "I know that you must've taken a lot of time to get that for me." I genuinely mean it.

"Oh, don't worry if it set us back with money," says my mom. "I got it at that charming bargain store on the corner of the street. I hope it fits!" I survey it with my bright, large green eyes. It looks my size: very, very small.

"I think it will," I tell her. Mother beams at me and tells me to get dressed. I obediently dress in the jumpsuit and a pair of tattered black shoes that originally belonged to my oldest sister, Mary, when she was my age. They've been worn by her, my second-oldest sister Susan, and now me. After I outgrow them, they'll be put in our closet until my baby sister Nelly can fit into them.

I look at myself in the cracked mirror. It distorts my small face so my normally pointed chin is round as the full moon, because of the time Nelly broke it and Mother glued the chips on that spot back on.

When I walk out into the kitchen where my entire family is packed, waiting for me to go to the reaping, my mother embraces me fiercely. I hear Mary and Aiden -my oldest brother- whispering to themselves. But I hear them.

"The odds aren't in her favor, not at all."

* * *

**Mitch Yamez**

**(18)**

So many people. Milling around the town square nervously, sorting into age groups. I run my hands through my dark brown hair as I watch my grandparents wave to me from the side of the square. I grin for their sake, though. They've done their very best to protect me and raise me right. And their best is good enough for me and more.

I wave back at them and they beam back at me. My grandfather mouths: How many slips this year, again?

I cup my hands around my mouth and shout, "Only seven!" Thank God. This is my last year of being reaping age.

"Hello!" says a deep voice. I look up and see a very solid-built, muscular, dark-skinned man in a black and dark green suit. Our new escort, I guess. "I presume you know about the Quarter Quell!" He looks at us expectantly. We nod. I don't have any reaping age, female loved ones, so I'm not really looking as the man draws a slip from the girl's reaping ball.

He clears his throat. "Our female tribute is... Brianna Caryn!"

A few seconds, all I hear is the sound of myself breathing. Then I hear the sound of someone crying.

* * *

**Brianna Caryn**

**(12)**

Tears stream down my cheeks as I make my way toward the stage. I trip over the second step up to the stage. To my surprise, not one person laughs at me. I stumble up to the stage. From up here, I can see my whole family. My oldest sister Mary, who is out of the reaping, is standing by my parents, who look as scared as I feel.

"Hey, there," says a quiet voice behind me. I turn my head slightly and see that Eric Fleming, a victor, is talking to me. "Don't cry." I can't stop the tears, as much as I try, though.

"Time for the boys," says the escort. He walks over to the boy's reaping ball and rummages around in it. He draws two slips and drops one. He unfolds the one he holds and calls out, "Mitch Yamez!"

I find Mitch in the crowd easily, I know him from school. He was grinning like an idiot before I got reaped. Now, his wide smile has dropped from his face. Lips pressed tightly together, he walks up to the stage and stands next to me.

"Our tributes of District Three!" says the escort. "Shake hands, you two." I turn toward Mitch shyly, but before I can hold out my hand, he's crushing mine in a warm, friendly handshake. He pats me on the back and smiles at me reassuringly.

I don't understand why everyone's being so nice to me. Mitch is going to have to kill me, after all. And Eric Fleming, who told me not to cry, will watch me die.

I can tell people are counting me out already. Though I secretly want to tell them I'm a contender in these Games, I don't have the courage to say it.

* * *

**Mitch Yamez**

**(18)**

Dumbfounded, I sit in the Justice Building. I've heard what sounds like a herd of elephants walking down the creaky floors of the halls already, which must be that little girl, Brianna's family. I can picture my grandparents wait patiently and politely as they walk past. They would never rush in front of someone.

Just then, the door opens and my grandparents step in. They see me and walk over as quickly as their old bones can allow.

"Oh, Mitch," says my grandfather.

"Are you all right?" exclaims my grandmother.

"Yeah," I say, for once not happy with life. Then I change my mind. "No."

"Stay strong, Mitch," says my grandfather gruffly. "Don't worry. Thanks to us, you know your way around a weapon." True, my grandparents have tried to train me in case anything like this happens. Now it has. But after watching the District One and Two reapings, I know my odds aren't good.

"We're going to bet on you!" my grandmother tearfully. "We'll even try to sponsor you!" I feel a rush of gratitude to them, and accept their hugs and tears.

"I'm going to be fine," I say.

Even to my ears, I sound like I'm trying to convince myself.

* * *

**Okay, a few things here... If you think I didn't write you tribute the way you wanted them, PLEASE feel free to tell me. **

**Another thing... Will you please tell me if these chapters are too short? I'd appreciate it a lot. :)**

**Who's your favorite character out of these six? Vote in the poll that is probably on my profile by now. **

**If it's not, to my fellow Eminem fans, vote on the poll "What is your favorite Eminem album, EP, or LP?" Thanks and Shady till I die!**


	5. D4 Reaping

**I'm back again with another chapter for you people that bother to read them!**

**I hope you like this chapter too! Once again, I'd love reviews. :)**

**Okay, this is really random, but fellow rappers/rap fans, don't you think Nike would be a great rapper? Preying on weaknesses and all that? No, really...**

**I have a new poll about your fave character in this! We only got one vote on the last one. It was for Julian. Wonder who it was... *cough PROBABLY MY SISTER, WHO SUBMITTED HIM cough* This new one has the D4 tributes on it, too. **

* * *

**Nike Silathrop**

**(17)**

I wake up at four in the morning.

You think I'm kidding you? No, I actually do. But if it was _my_ choice, I'd get up at eight. But unfortunately, it's not my choice. It's my parents' choice. It seems like EVERYTHING is my parents' choice.

"What do you think you're doing?" snaps my mom, Cordelia, when she hears me walking outside. "It's reaping day! You're not running today, we're getting you ready."

With that, she sits me down in a chair and starts painting my fingernails and toenails.

I zone out while she's doing this. I know better than to move a muscle. If I do, she'll yell at me about how I'm going to die in the Games if I twitch so much.

Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with my family. They just want me to survive when I go into this Hunger Games. They're just strict.

I was 15 when the rebellion ended. My parents were going crazy practically, hoping and praying for the Games to restart. And they did.

My father's name is Edmar. He won the Games about fifteen years before Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark did. He was very popular with the Capitol- he was ruthless, bloodthirsty, and strong, which they loved. He's determined to get me into the Games.

My mother, Cordelia, is not a victor, but is just as determined as my father. She was beat out of volunteering three times in a row, and thinks that me being in the Games would be as good as her being in the Games. While my father is training me to be physically strong, she's training me to be emotionally strong, by picking out people's weaknesses just by looking at them and intimidating them with their own flaws.

* * *

After the nail polish has dried, my mother hands me a shopping bag. "Don't get anything on your new clothes!" she warns me. I walk into my room to get changed. I stand in front of my wall-length mirror. Same sun bleached-blonde shoulder-length hair, same icy blue eyes that look like my father's. Same slim body and muscles, same tanned skin.

I look in the bag. The first thing I see is a shoe-box, which I pull out. I open it and find a pair of black combat boots. Secretly, I think they pinch my toes too much, but if my mother wants to wear them, I'll wear them. I set them aside. I pull a purple denim miniskirt that will show off my muscled legs. I set that aside and dump the final item out of the bag: a pretty white blouse. I dress in the clothes and prepare to get my hair straightened, my makeup put on.

If I don't look perfect, my mother tells me, then I'll be guaranteed to get no sponsors. And sponsors are the key to survival. At least, when you're like me, and this year will surely be the best year of my life.

* * *

**Tom Lee**

**(16)**

"Welcome!" says the new rebel escort. "I assume you all know about the Quell?" She's answered by wild cheering and excited screams. "My, my, your reaction is even better than District Two's! Well, let's get the ball rolling!"

She reaches a hand into the girl's reaping bowl and pulls out a slip. She unfolds the slip carefully, and clears her throat.

"The female tribute is... Mist Lyrical!" she says.

My mouth drops open. I find Mist's startlingly green eyes across the square. She looks shocked and she takes a step forward to the stage. Suddenly, there's a blur from by her and Mist is knocked roughly to the ground.

"Mist!" I yell, shoving my way through the people. "Mist!"

The blur is a girl I know from school. She's speeding up toward the stage, screaming, "I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" screams the girl. She runs runs up onto the stage.

I'm by Mist in a moment. Her wrist is turned in a nasty angle. Tears are threatening to spill out of her eyes.

"Tommy," she hisses through gritted teeth. Her breath smells of mint leaves. I know for a matter of a fact that she chews them a lot.

"I'm here," I tell her, crouching by her on the ground. "Don't worry. I'll get you to my dad right after the reaping." She smiles up at me. I reach out a hand, and with her good hand, she lets me pull her off the ground. I pull her into a hug.

"That stupid little bitch," Mist sniffles. "Just because she wants to be a tribute." I nod.

"My name's Nike Silathrop!" the volunteer says into the microphone. "Daughter of Edmar Silathrop, victor!"

"Um... That's all very nice, sweetie," says the escort. "But we need to get on with the reaping." I can tell the girl is annoyed. She squints at the escort's pockmarked face and forced smile.

"I bet you got the pox epidemic in 13," she snaps. "I bet you don't have enough money, so you're escorting." The escort looks very offended. Oddly, she has this expression on her face that reads, _how did she know that about me? _

The escort shakes it off and wanders to the boy's reaping ball. Clearly wanting to get it over with, she draws a name. She licks her lips and says, "Tom Lee!"

I can feel Mist go tense in my arms. "Tommy," she whispers.

She's the only one that I let call me Tommy. I don't mind it from her, I care about her so much.

"Tom Lee?" asks the escort, looking around. I try to untangle myself from Mist, but she's not letting me go.

"Mist," I whisper. "Don't worry, I'm going to be fine. Just let go." Trying not to let any emotion show, I untangle myself from her and make my way to the stage. Climbing up those steps, my feet feel as heavy as bricks.

* * *

**Guys, I really am sorry about the shortness of this chapter. But something about these D4 tributes makes them SO FUCKING HARD to write. Don't get me wrong, they're good characters. I just don't feel like I'm writing them good enough.**

**Nike was submitted by cherrybubble.**

**Tom was submitted by trenton-motal. **

**Vote in the poll about favorite character! **

**Review, because I want to see what you think of this. ****To be honest, I was a little pouty after the one review I got after my epic Pieces in the Game return. Hats off to ShastamaeFirepool for being the only reviewer!**


	6. D5 Reaping

**Lesia was submitted by AC (Guest) and Rowan was submitted by Waltoncurr00.  
**

**Thanks to whoever voted in my poll (I think it was ShastamaeFirepool, because she said she'd vote, but I can never be too sure...) Review reply time!**

**Catching Fireflies: I knew it, I knew it! **

**ShastamaeFirepool: Yeah, I did a bit of changing with Tom *hides from people who don't like having their characters changed* Aha! It must've been you that voted. Thanks! :D**

**trenton-motal: Thanks! I'm glad to know that. Neither can I!**

**AC (Guest): You're welcome, and thanks for reviewing! :)**

**Nrrrd-Grrrl-Meg: Two reviews? That's just awesome. I love Brianna, too, there's something about her that's just so SWEET... Anyway! And yeah, Mitch was kind of hard for me to write. MMLP? I know, I love that one! And yeah, I was planning on Nike being a bitch later. This is going to be a fun Games...**

**Once again, I have a new poll up for favorite character. Go vote in it. It won't affect odds in the Games. I have all tributes on the poll, but do not vote for someone until their reaping has been written. It's just stupid, and we'll all know that you're voting for the character you submitted. Which is needless.*****cough CATCHING FIREFLIES WHO VOTED FOR HER D13 FEMALE cough***

**Okay, and I'm really sorry about Rowan. I'm not from the UK so I don't really understand what you meant by '7 and a half stone' or 'his nan'. Sorry. :(**

* * *

**Lesia le'Deur**

**(13)**

I walk, slouching, into a small clothing shop by the alleys that I usually roam. A bell jingles in what should be a merry way, but sounds like the bells that people here ring during funerals.

"Hello," says the lady at the small wooden table who takes the money. "What are you looking for today?" She looks a bit depressed. I guess it's because her daughter, one of my students Amarantha, is going to be in the reaping for her first year.

"A pair of pants," I tell her. "Mine got ripped, and I need something to wear for the reaping."

"Okay, right this way," she says, getting up and leading me to a rusting metal clothes rack. "What color?"

All the pants on the rack have been patched at the knees, and are only in slightly better condition than my old pants. "Black," I tell her, fingering the worn fabric. She gets out an equally old measuring tape and measures me. She picks out the only pair of black pants that fit my small stature.

"Here you go," she says, forcing a smile. She hands me the pair of pants. "Free of charge," she insists. "It's all I can do for you, since you've been teaching Amarantha. And since you don't have any parents to provide for you."

I never knew my parents. I do know people that knew them before they ran off, though. They say that my mother was quite pretty and lots of boys liked her. They say that her and her current boyfriend together were just about the sweetest couple ever. Then she figured out she was pregnant with me. But it wasn't her boyfriend's baby. He figured out that she cheated and left her right before they were going to be wed. My mother died soon later, giving birth to me.

"I don't need charity," I say. But I don't have the money to pay for the pants. I don't want to admit that, though. Without a second word, Amarantha's mother hands me the pair of pants and shooes me out of her store with a "Shh!" She doesn't want to get caught by Peacekeepers.

I know the feeling.

* * *

**Rowan Miller**

**(14) **

"Now you listen to me, Rowan," says my grandmother. "You go over there with the rest of the fourteen-year-olds and you be civilized. If someone near you, or Sophie or Jack, gets reaped, you stay calm."

That's my grandma, all right. Strict, but wanting the best for me. She wants the best for everyone, which is a good quality for a district healer like her.

"Yes, nan," I tell her, smiling. "See you soon!" She stops me.

"Did you remember to put the chicken on the spit over the fire?" she asks.

"Of course I did," I say. She's so pleased with me she gives me a hug. I squirm away, and she smiles and walks off to stand with the other adults. I do as she tells me and walk over to the other kids my age. I spot Sophie and Jack making their way toward me, so I walk toward them, grinning.

"Hey, Rowan!" says Jack. "How're you doing?"

"Pretty good. How about you, Sophie?" I ask Sophie, who like Jack, is one of my best friends.

"A little worried," Sophie admits. "I've taken some tessera." I nod, secretly as worried as she probably is. I look up at the stage as our new escort clears her throat into the microphone. It's a relief to have a normal, rebel escort after the disgusting Capitol people.

"Hello!" she says into the mic, smiling slightly. "I trust you know that this is a Quarter Quell." Some of us nod. Most of us scowl. I'm part of the nodding group. "Then I guess it's time to draw our male tribute!" My stomach twists. I'm not nervous for me, though- Jack and Sophie both take lots of tesserae. The lady struts over to the boy's reaping bowl and rummages around it in. She pulls out a single slip of paper.

_Not Jack,_ I hope. _Not Jack. _But it's not his name I hear.

"Rowan Miller," says the escort.

My mouth drops open. I can't believe this is happening to me. I press my lips together grimly and take a step forward. Instantly, all eyes are on me. Another step. After what feels like a thousand, I reach the stage.

"Any volunteers?" asks the escort. She looks around. No one's coming up. "Anyone?" But no one comes up.

I'm a tribute now.

* * *

**Lesia le'Deur**

**(13)**

I'm very late for the reaping. I walk in just as the escort calls the name of the boy tribute, a boy a few years older than me with dark hair. He looks stunned, but he's keeping his cool mostly. I respect him for that. Step by slow step -he was in the back of the square- he walks to the stage.

I try to comb my reddish-brown hair with my fingers to make myself look more presentable. It doesn't ork as well as I wish. I can see the other girls my age laughing at me. I try to ignore it, but their laughing is so annoying that I quickly walk right up to them.

"Quit being so rude," I tell them. They laugh even more. "And stop judging me, you don't know what the fuck I've been through!" I say loudly. For some reason, the girls seem very shocked. Terrified, even. "Well? What is it?" I ask them.

Then one of them whispers, "They said your name."

"Who?" I ask. The girl doesn't speak. She just points up to the stage at the escort.

My breath catches in my throat. "No," I mutter under my breath. "This can't- I- what-" I know I sound stupid, but I'm just so confused.

I walk up to the stage, trying to appear not as scared as I feel.

"Lesia le'Deur and Rowan Miller, our two tributes!" calls out the escort. "Now shake hands, you two!" Rowan's hand is trembling ever so slightly as he reaches it out. I take his hand and shake it. His hand stays gripped on mine longer than I would like, and I shake him off. He looks hurt for a split second, and then he hides his emotions. Wiping them right off his face.

* * *

I sit in the lonely little room in the Justice Building. Well, maybe it wouldn't be lonely if I had loved ones visiting me.

I'm sitting down in this small little velvet chair that sinks down when I sit in it like it's old and might fall apart. I look at the slab of maple wood that's the door as if people might be flooding through it, so many that it knocks down the stupid door. The people would shower me in hugs and kisses and they'd give me a proper district token-

Just then, all my students that I tutor burst in. "Lesia! Don't go!" Fiorella, one of my favorite students, bawls, throwing her arms around me. I feel myself smiling as I stroke her black curls.

"It's okay," I tell her. I don't want to lie and say that I'll survive. Because I don't know that, and I hate lying to my favorite people on the planet.

"Tell your mom thank you from me," I tell Amarantha. She nods. "I love you all." I spread my arms out wide and all my students run toward me in a fierce embrace.

I don't think I'll ever forget the shocked, scared look on the girls's faces when I got reaped.

* * *

**DID ANYONE CATCH IT? Lesia just coincidentally quoted Eminem aloud! *whistles an innocent tune* Wonder who made her do that? **

**Sorry, AC, I just couldn't help it when I started writing that part where those girls were laughing at her. **

**Sorry that Rowan's appearance was made up, Rowan was the first in and by then I didn't realize that I forgot appearance on my form. **

**One more thing. If you don't like your character, just TELL ME. I'll try to change them. Vote in the poll and review, everyone!**

**ONE MORE FUCKING THING! READ THIS! The title is starting not to fit the fic. Is it all right if I change it? Tell me in a review! And if you have any ideas, tell me. :)**


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